The Hauraki Rail Trail is considered to be one of the easiest and more “family friendly” trails in the country, comprising largely flat, dedicated cycle trails throughout its length. It also promised to be “old man” friendly, offering us a welcome change from the challenges of the Waikato River Trail on Day 2.

Our plan was to start in Te Aroha and cycle the Rail trail through to Paeroa for lunch, then on to Waihi through the Karangahake Gorge for pick-up outside Waihi. Covering a total of just 47 km on flat trails a late start (12:30 pm) was planned, leaving the morning free to explore Hamilton in search of breakfast.

Once again Anne was our driver, picking us up at 12:30 for the 45 minute drive east to Te Aroha. A quick coffee and chat with the locals at the Ironique Café, before heading off down the hill and onto the trail.

The trail to Paeroa is built on the original rail line, and passes through farming country alongside the main road. A warm day, gentle breeze and gritted trail with little to see (quite possibly one of the most boring trail rides around) combine to make this section thirsty work, so plenty of water stops required.

A cow of a detour!

One local farmer did succeed in livening things up however, albeit unintentionally. At various points the fenced off trail passes between farm paddocks, with traditional barred cattle stops protecting the trail from straying stock (or protecting cyclists from stock movement perhaps). This passive system works well in most cases, but is not infallible.  On one farm, where cattle movement had stopped with the herd tightly packed across the intersection between farm trail and cycle trail there was simply no way through. I am not sure who was more fascinated with this impasse:  the cyclists or the cattle.

With no likelihood of any early movement there was no option but to retrace our steps about 1 ½ km to the previous “cross-road” (actually a farm track), then follow that out to the highway in order to bypass the blockage, adding around 3 km to the trip. And yes, the herd was still across the track when we passed by on the road.

Enjoying a traditional “L&P” in Paeroa

Once past the meandering herd the rest of the ride to Paeroa was uneventful – and unmemorable. A quick tour of Paeroa to identify the route through to Waihi (the trail also goes in a different direction to Thames), then lunch at a local bakery. And a chance to quench our thirst by sampling the area’s signature drink, “Lemon & Paeroa” in the distinctive brown bottle (no it is not beer!).

Then on to the more attractive part of the trail, the section from Paeroa to Waihi.

Dale, Paul, Kev & Kem outside the rail tunnel at Karangahake Gorge

This section follows the Karangahake River, with large swing bridges crossing the river at both ends of the 1.1 km long former rail tunnel. With the trail running close to the road at many points it was not surprising to find that this section is well-used not only by other riders, but also by many runners and walkers. Several family groups were also enjoying the unique atmosphere of the tunnel. Dogs on near invisible leads in the gloom of the tunnel also provided a further challenge.

Past the bridges and tunnel the trail offers much more to see, including the short Windows Walk loop at Karangahake through historic goldmining relics and tunnels, and side-path to the Owharoa Waterfall. Being on a tight timetable to meet our ride back to Hamilton these side trails were not an option, however we did pass the historic Victorian Battery (see page header above) where gold was extracted from the mined ore. In the early 1900’s this was the country’s largest producer of gold -10 times more than the next largest battery.

Refreshing those tired feet. Paul & Kev

Paul also found time to soak his feet in the cooling waters of the stream, before the last few kilometres on gentle rolling track to meet Anne outside Waihi.

A brief stop on the outskirts of Paeroa to hand the Gepida bikes back to Duncan of Bush-e-Bikes (from Coromandel), then back to Hamilton.

A short day this time, but the second part of the trail (Paeroa to Waihi) is well worth the effort in getting there. It is also an easy trail, largely flat with few hills to navigate. No need for ebikes on this section, but happy to take advantage of having them!